By admin 
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The recent arrests of two U.S. Border Patrol agents, one in southeastern Arizona and another in California, have raised concerns among civil rights advocates as the federal government moves forward with plans to hire thousands of new agents.
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An agent based in Arizona, identified as Bart Yager, was charged last week with 17 felony counts, including child sex trafficking.
A second agent, identified as Isaiah Hodgson, was arrested in Long Beach, California, and faces multiple charges, including battery on a police officer.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Hodgson was arrested on July 7 after he allegedly entered a women’s restroom at a restaurant and approached a woman. The woman told authorities she noticed a handgun on his waist and alerted staff.
Long Beach police said Hodgson became uncooperative and got physical with officers during the arrest. He now faces nine charges, including carrying a loaded firearm in public.
Both arrests come as the Department of Homeland Security begins a major hiring push to bring on 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as part of an expanded immigration enforcement strategy.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is warning that rapid expansion can lead to lowered hiring standards and increased misconduct within the agency.
Noah Schramm, a border policy strategist with the ACLU, pointed to the George Bush administration as a cautionary example, when the size of the Border Patrol was doubled.
“The direct result of that was a stark increase in the number of cases where Border Patrol agents were misbehaving in one way or another, committing crimes themselves or getting involved in organized crime. The reason this happened was because they were lowering the standards to get the numbers they were trying to achieve,” he explained.
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A spokesperson for DHS confirmed that the California incident is under investigation, but did not confirm any details about the sector in which the agent is employed. But the department states that it uses a rigorous hiring process that includes thorough background checks and drug testing.
Still, Schramm expressed concern about what a rushed hiring process could mean for accountability and the treatment of migrant communities.
“It’s really not that complicated if you try to hire as many agents as you can as quickly as possible. You’re going to have to cut some corners, and that has consequences,” said Schramm.
With immigration raids currently underway across the country, Schramm said immigrant communities are likely to feel the impact directly.
“There’s really strong anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from this administration that makes us concerned that not only the agents hired will be underqualified for the position that they hold, but they might also just have a harsher attitude toward the migrant populations,” he explained.
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